An application is computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer to perform a task for a computer user. Applications typically are tested by software test engineers prior to being certified ready for production. This testing is done to try and minimize problems that may occur after the application is in production, which would cost the user time and money.
Software testing is expensive. There is a need to determine a quantifiable return on investment for software testing to help managers make decisions on how much testing should be done or whether certain types of testing should be done at all. Currently, software testing is performed because there is a consensus in industry that software testing is a good thing in trying to keep applications running and customers happy. Until now, however, there has not been a consistently and effectively applied approach to analyze the return obtained by investing in testing compared with the cost of testing.